I recommend the book This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin. If you skip the too much scientific parts, it answers many questions.
But look at this resource also, this is how sounds are hard-wired to our emotions:http://www.gradfree.com/kevin/some_theor...l_keys.htm
I think my favorite key is D minor or some other minor key, the stuff that gives other people depression

And this is some superb emotional stuff, I just love Dax's music when he gets his piano rolling like you hear later in the song. (arpeggio?)

And this is another lovable sad song by Dax, called Sleeping Sisera. Highly recommended.

(24-04-2012 07:32 PM)elemts Wrote: Without digging out my psych books (and there's like 7 that could cover it, about 5600 pages and I don't recall which pages/books it was in) I recall some things about people are potenatially pre-programmed (as in brain develops) to certain sounds, may have sounds referenced to certain emotions due to frequency. Although I also recall that we aren't that good at detecting frequency given certain parameters (something about play one note, then increase the notes frequency, then play the original note, and people will swear the note is higher). And of course, environmental things come in as well--although there are some neat color-warnings too that are "instinctive" such as, would you try to touch a bee, or a butterfly?)

Anyway... when discussed in class, more of a "it's a neat thing" movies are referenced. To evoke certain moods, certain beats and sounds are used. Same for computer games. There's one game that the music creeps me out when playing one level (it's a haunted-spooky thing). Took me forever to even get through. I remembered psych principals, and restarted the level with the speakers off--I finished it in under 3 minutes (I was in almost 30 minutes+ plus before). Music played when the ghost-man with an axe appeared made me throw the mouse and then have to collect it and then I was terrified to look around because I didn't want to see him behind me--turned off the music and I was like "ohhh, scary man with an axe--here let me chase YOU". Without an emotional or auditory distraction, I was able to think clearer.

Fabricating evidence are we? Well, since no one can come up with a scientific explanation without having to make words up like "psychology" and "frequency", it is quite clear that God simply blesses certain forms of music.